Smoking pushes 417,000 UK households into poverty, including 137,000 children, new analysis shows

Smoking is pushing an estimated 417,000 UK households below the poverty line, including 137,000 children, according to a major new report published today by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

The analysis finds that spending on tobacco is driving hundreds of thousands of families into poverty and deepening financial hardship for nearly a million more households already in poverty and struggling to make ends meet.

Among the report's key findings:

• When spending on tobacco is considered, tobacco forces 417,000 households, including 137,000 children, who wouldn’t otherwise be, below the poverty line
• In addition, it pushes 955,000 households already living below the poverty line into even deeper financial hardship, stripping money from essentials including food, heating and housing
• In total, 1.37 million households are living in poverty once smoking costs are factored in
• One in four people who smoke (24%) went hungry last year after skipping meals, compared to one in ten (10%) of those who have never smoked

• Those who smoke are nearly three times as likely to use food banks as non-smokers (20% vs 7%)

   

The findings highlight that smoking remains far more prevalent in the UK's poorest communities – around 2.5 times higher in the most deprived areas than the least – with current rates of decline doing little to close that gap. Smoking is more common in deprived groups because they face more barriers to quitting. People living in deprived circumstances are less likely to succeed when they try to stop smoking due to higher levels of addiction, starting smoking younger, higher levels of stress, and living in places where smoking is more common.

ASH modelling also highlights the stark inequality in smoking rates and quit outcomes: on current trends people with a degree are projected to reach smoking prevalence below 1% by 2033, while those with no qualifications are not expected to hit that milestone until 2062 – nearly three decades later.

While the Government's Tobacco and Vapes Act marks major progress, ASH warns that without a dedicated plan to tackle smoking in deprived communities, inequalities will continue to widen for decades.

The charity is calling on the Government to publish a national smokefree roadmap with clear milestones to bring smoking below 1% across all population groups. This should include expanded access to cessation support and quit aids, targeted campaigns, and services redesigned to reach disadvantaged groups.

With more than 14 million people in the UK living below the poverty line, including 4.5 million children, ASH argues that reducing smoking among low-income households is one of the most direct and immediate ways to put money back into the pockets of families who need it most, improve health outcomes and reduce pressure on public services.

Liam Loftus, Development Director at Cambridge City Foodbank and Senior Advisor at the Health Equity Evidence Centre:

"This report sets out a clear and compelling route towards a smokefree future that benefits everyone, not just the most affluent. It shows that we now have a real choice: continue with uneven progress, or take a more ambitious approach that accelerates reductions in smoking in the communities where rates are highest.

Smoking remains one of the most powerful drivers of health inequality and financial hardship, and this report highlights the scale of opportunity if we act decisively. It provides a practical roadmap for how Government can end smoking inequality and deliver meaningful improvements in health and life chances. If implemented, the recommendations would improve health, reduce poverty, and help narrow persistent inequalities. It’s a clear opportunity to make a real difference, and one that shouldn’t be missed.”

Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive Officer, Action on Smoking and Health:

"Smoking is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. It drives ill health, cuts incomes and shortens lives, with the heaviest burden falling on the most disadvantaged communities.

“We have made huge progress towards a smokefree future, but too many people are still being left behind. As we introduce world-leading legislation to protect future generations from tobacco, we must also do more to help those who smoke today. If we are serious about tackling health inequalities, we need a clear plan to break the link between smoking and poverty and ensure everyone benefits from a smokefree future.”

Hannah Moore, expert by lived experience and co-chair of the ASH lived experience roundtable: 

“Stopping smoking isn't always easy, and for many people there are other pressures in life that can make quitting even harder. That's why access to effective, understanding support is so important. Everyone deserves the chance to become smokefree, and we need to make sure that support reaches all communities so that no one is left behind.”

Professor Sanjay Agrawal, special adviser on tobacco to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP):

“We know that smoking and disadvantage are closely linked, with people facing the greatest social and economic challenges often finding it hardest to quit. These new findings show that the impact extends beyond health, with tobacco addiction pushing hundreds of thousands of households into poverty and deepening hardship for many more. If we want to reduce inequalities, we must ensure that effective stop-smoking support reaches the communities that need it most.”

ENDS.

Contact: press@ash.org.uk

Notes to editors

• The full report is available here.
• All findings for the impact of tobacco expenditure on household poverty, used here, were made using the relative after housing costs (AHC) poverty measure. The Landman Economics Estimates of poverty in the UK adjusted for expenditure on tobacco – 2026 update uses both before (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC) measures and provides findings for both absolute and relative poverty. 
• ASH’s Action Plan follows a report last month from the Royal College of Physicians which laid out the enduring inequalities in smoking rates and highlighted the action needed to end this inequality.
• Interviews with quoted spokespeople available on request.